The following section is presented for informational purposes only. The inclusion of material in this section should not be considered to be an admission that such material is prior art to the present application.
Cardiac disorders such as congestive heart failure affect more than five million subjects in the United States alone. Many subjects suffering from such disorders require mechanical circulatory support. Counterpulsation therapy may be used for the treatment of cardiac disorders. Counterpulsation is a technique that synchronizes the external pumping of blood with the heart's cycle to assist the circulation and decreasing the work of the heart.
Counterpulsation pumps eject when the heart is filling (relaxation period) to increase blood flow and oxygen to the heart. Counterpulsation pumps fill when the heart is ejecting to decrease the hearts workload and lessen oxygen demand.
Counterpulsation may be implemented using an implanted pump device, referred to as a counterpulsation device (CPD). The pumping action of the CPD may be synched to the subject's heartbeat to provide counterpulsation, e.g. using a detected EKG signal.